Holyfield discusses Haye, says he would accept fight
Hardcore long time Holyfield fans, prepare to turn away now. Evander Holyfield, 48, is still actively pursuing the significant heavyweight titles and calling out the sport’s big players despite overwhelming opinion that he should have retired the better part of a decade ago.
Reports recently caught up with Holyfield in London, promoting a poker tournament. He spoke out about WBA champion David Haye and stated that he would like to challenge him for his title, a hypothetical possibility many say will never see the light of day.
Discussing Haye’s potential fight with European heavyweight champion Audley Harrison, Holyfield said: “I think he may have his work cut out against Audley Harrison. He is tall, athletic, and this is Harrison’s last chance at world title glory. He has a dangerous long left hand.”
Holyfield countered the fact that most would go with Haye to win the fight. “It doesn’t make any difference what people are saying. There will be some risks for David Haye in this fight. Haye is young, athletic and hungry. He creates difficult angles with the way he moves about in the ring. He has a natural arrogance about him which comes from being young and ambitious.”
For his part, Holyfield is the only heavyweight in history to have won a world title four times. He’s been active in the division since 1988, and has defeated the world’s most formidable opposition. Holyfield is out to convince the world of his lasting and still relevant skills, but so far has only convinced people of his lasting motivation for a world title. He has lost five of his last 10 bouts.
“I am hungry too, hungry to be world heavyweight champion for the fifth time,” Holyfield declared. “I’m not listening to no one who says look at what you are doing to yourself, look at what happened to Muhammad Ali. No one has ever done what I have done, and I’ll know when it is time for me to leave the sport.”
If only more fighters had left the sport before they realized the lights were out.
Holyfield, in his discussions, confirmed that he would accept a bout with Haye, who idolized the “Real Deal” for stepping up in weight from the cruiser-weight division. Haye did the same thing in 2008, though he has yet to unify the belts as his idol did.
“I’m also looking forward to facing David Haye down the line. It doesn’t matter that I was once his hero, you often have to meet your heroes in the ring.”
In the span of his glorious career, Holyfield has defeated legends such as George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. At 28, Holyfield took out an aged George Foreman in a fight titled “Battle of the Ages,” though now it would be up to him to win from the opposite side of the spectrum.
In his heyday, Holyfield was always a well-liked fighter for his diversity in the ring and his media-friendly personality outside of it. Because he originally moved up from the cruiser-weight division, Holyfield often found himself more trim and fit than his opponents, and could out-hustle them while avoiding being thrown around.
Holyfield experienced a renaissance in his career in 1996 when he defeated Mike Tyson in a stunning eleventh round TKO. He was the underdog for the fight, but was able to rally a winning performance and stop Tyson’s reigning return in its tracks. The effort awarded him the WBA and WBC heavyweight belts.
It would be fair to say Holyfield’s career has been one in which he has beat seemingly impossible odds and come back time after time. However, as all men are mortal, many believe Holyfield may have already cashed in on his winning hand.
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